The staff and students really enjoyed the ‘normal?’ day of presentations and we received a lot of positive feedback. Some of the students mentioned that it was really empowering to have a safe forum to discuss personal issues such as body image and the impact of social media. Many students felt that learning to recognise their feelings of anxiety and to put strategies in place was a revelation. E.g. a year 10 girl said how recently she was stressed over an exam and after the day instead of her usual behaviour of revising into the early hours, she went out to the cinema to relax and felt calmer the next day – allowing herself a treat!

We really loved having the company at our school and look forward to another occasion.

— Tamara Peters- Head of Citizenship & PSHE (Gumley Girls School)

“It was an absolute pleasure to be amongst the first to experience Normal? as a workshop. This was delivered at Lincoln College to groups of mainstream learners and those with a variety of learning difficulties; Ann did a fantastic job of adapting the session to suit the needs of our learners, and we felt that everyone left having learned a lot about mental illness. The combination of the film, discussion and forum theatre kept our students engaged in a way that we rarely see with longer workshops. It is a testament to Ann that she was able to make our students feel so comfortable talking about such a difficult and emotional subject. This is a unique way to approach the subject of mental health with students, and encouraged them to question their own beliefs about mental health, as well as to understand the difficulties of coping with a mental illness. We would recommend this to any school or college!”

— Amber Lilley- Student President, Lincoln College

The Normal? Education workshop really sends a message out to young people

— Participant, Lincoln College

I enjoyed the workshop very much... I learned about how mental health affects people and where you can get help but I also learned that help is out there

— Participant, Lincoln College

I attended the Normal Education screening in May of this year and I was so impressed with what I saw and heard that I arranged for Ann and her team to run the workshop for the young people I work with at Mind in HARINGEY that are Care Leavers (some already have a diagnosed mental illness).

The young people were blown away with the film and the workshop and expressed the opinion that more young people need to do the workshop, particularly in schools.I am very happy to support Ann and Harts in bringing this workshop to the young people in Haringey and we will support her in making contacts in the borough .

— Lynette Charles, Operations Service Manager- Mind in Haringey

Normal portrayed a realistic view on mental health and exposed the whole picture of the illness... it was very well delivered

— Participant, Mind in Haringey

As a sufferer of mental health it opened my eyes to what it is like for other people involved in the mental health cycle. It was REAL and eye opening

— Participant, Mind in Haringey

It was interesting to see mental health from a different perspective of the sibling. Rather than just the person who is experiencing it. I thought Ann was a thoughtful and engaging facilitator and the participants all really enjoyed it

HARTS Theatre Company

H-Arts is a company founded by Ann Akin, a professional actress, writer and drama facilitator.

Our focus is using performing arts to work with young people with the aim to provide them with a voice to help create social change.

Our workshops are aimed at developing performance skills and encouraging self expression through creative activities. Classes will help to develop confidence, physical awareness and communication in an educational and fun environment.